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Another article from the Guardian about guns. Everyone, should by now, know how opposed I am to them but there are some interesting statistics, especially the increased risk of injury or death to women if guns are kept in the home.
For those interested: http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/may/18/gun-violence-wa...
Please keep the responses civil.
Comments
As people already know, I'm
As people already know, I'm totally against any sort of gun bans. The most restriction I personally allow are that people that are currently on psychoactive drugs or currently on parole (or serving a sentence, even community service) should not be allowed access to them. That, and I don't have a huge problem with requiring a training course - as long as it's _not_ run by any governmental agency. Those countries who tend to crack down on gun ownership to the point of confiscation are those that tend to end up fascist. (Italy, Germany, pre-WWII).
http://www.usnews.com/news/articles/2013/06/25/study-using-g...
I'll get a life when it's proven and substantiated to be better than what I'm currently experiencing.
Thanks - Lots of Interesting Numbers
I've read that 35% of US households have at least one gun. I've also seen stats that 47% of US individuals own at least one gun. I'm not sure how to reconcile those numbers, but there are lots of guns in the US no matter how you look at it. The US munitions industry has been very effective at driving demand (and increasing their political influence) for their product by leveraging a propagandized combination of fear, bigotry and patriotism. It's crazy here and likely won't get better unless we can get unlimited corporate and individual money out of politics, and people start informing themselves and voting in very large numbers.
I wouldn't say that the
I wouldn't say that the munitions industry was driving the sales. Yes, they want to sell products, but huge bursts of sales, then everything dropping is not good for any business. They want steady sales. I'm in Houston, sometimes referred to as part of the 'Deep South' (it's not, really. I'd call that the area from Louisiana to South Carolina). All of the people I know of that were buying guns (and my foster brother worked for a gun store and range for a while) were buying them because _they_ felt that insane restrictions were coming soon - because of what had come out of certain liar's... sorry, politician's mouths. The ads I looked through never really changed. No "Buy two handguns and get one shotgun free!" specials :)
In the US, though, it really boils down to one key fact. The right to keep and bear arms is the Second Amendment. You can hate it all you want, but you are _not_ allowed to claim that it's not valid anymore, and then pass tons of laws forbidding everything. If you want to get rid of it, there's a very simple process to do so. They did the same thing to pass Prohibition, and then to repeal it - as well as give Black men, then all Women, the right to vote. Have you noticed that they don't even try? It's all "behind the back" knifework.
Notice I said in the US. I know that the British have more or less given away all the rights they obtained in the Magna Carta (and related documents), so I can't say 'No, you must have guns!'. It's a choice, and it shouldn't be forced on people to own them any more than people should be forced to _not_ own them.
I'll get a life when it's proven and substantiated to be better than what I'm currently experiencing.
Necessary Evil
I see guns as a necessary evil. It would be wonderful if they could disappear off of the planet completely, but barring an act of God, that's not going to happen any time soon. In the meantime, the criminals are going to get them regardless. They don't care about laws, or what is right. They will simply have them despite anyone's best efforts to stop them.
So I see it as a necessary evil for private ownership of guns. To protect ourselves and those we care about from those that would do harm. You might say that's what police are for, but they can't manage every situation out there. And the government having our best interests at heart? Well... I already talked about criminals.
~Taylor Ryan
My muse suffers from insomnia, and it keeps me up at night.
There increased risk of injury or death
There is one issue of gun ownership. Even if one has a gun at home for self defense, there are two big questions:
1. Was the training enough?
2. Will the one using it in self defense be able to shoot (not the issue of training, but psychology - "am I ready to kill?")?
Without those two, the gun is more of a danger to the owner, than a protection.
Guns are a tool
Of course you heard the replies about guns kill people.
If guns kill people it's a wonder anyone makes it out alive from a Gun Show.
If guns kill people do pencils make mistakes?
If guns kill people do spoons make people fat?
My carry gun is either on my hip or in my purse. It is not there to kill anyone but to make sure no one wants to harm me, rob me, or kill me. I grew up with loaded guns in the home. There are a lot of critters that need killing and daddy's guns served that need. Every gun in my home is loaded, within easy reach or a few steps away. I've found it necessary from time to time to step out the front or back door and start shooting. I don't have to think about it and if I did that critter isn't going to wait for me to go get a gun, load it, and come back. It takes me three tenths of a second to draw and fire and I have yet to see any critter out run what comes out the end.
Whether one hates guns, loves guns, owns guns, or doesn't own a gun, I really really don't care. That is their choice. What burns my tail feathers are those who want to lay their choice on me. Someone asked me why I carry and I use the old cliche, "The sheriff is too big to fit in my purse." (by the way the sheriff is my cousin) Every single day virtually someone(s) is saved from injury or death because a person who was carrying saved them. Or someone saved themselves and or others because they had a gun in the house.
Most of these stories the public will never know because the main stream media has an agenda against guns and they don't report them. These people aren't murders. They are normal everyday people who won't be robbed, raped, or murdered. That chalk outline isn't going to be around them. Bad, evil people will always have guns no matter how many laws are passed against owning a gun. In virtually every instance where carry laws are passed, crime numbers went down.
He wanted to shoot my gun so I handed it to him and the conversation went...
"Where's the safety?"
"Between your ears."
"No, where's the safety?"
"Between your ears. Keep your finger off the trigger until you have your target in your sights."
I started carrying daddy's guns when I was five or six and he had one rule. "Never point a gun at anything you don't intend to kill."
I never have.
Oklahoma born and raised cowgirl
go girl
well said!
I have 13 handguns. I try
I have 13 handguns. I try to regularly shoot three of them. Several are more collectors pieces than really good handguns. (I'd really like to get the .32 Mauser fixed)
I don't keep them fully loaded, because I'm at home. When I do have one loaded, with me, I don't put the safety on. (Fine motor control goes to crap when you have an adrenaline rush). Instead, I just don't put a round in the chamber. If I don't have time to rack the slide, I don't have time to pull the gun. I _do_ keep them in a steel cabinet. Even if my daughter were to get in there, grab the _right_ case, pull out the _right_ gun, she wouldn't be able to hurt herself - because she's not strong enough to pull the slide back. (for that matter, I tend to have the cabinet barricaded). The gun I keep _outside_ of the cabinet stays hidden, five feet off of the ground - and my wife knows where it is.
If someone manages to get in my house and tries to steal the safe, I have one thing I'll do. I'll offer to open the door for them, because anyone capable of picking up and strolling off with 350+ pounds of steel and lead is _not_ someone I'm going to call anything but 'sir'.
I'll get a life when it's proven and substantiated to be better than what I'm currently experiencing.